Fr. Barnabas, I love you brother... I don't know you and I'm not Orthodox, but I am drawn to your online homilies and lessons. I am an Ordained Assemblies of God minister and I am finding myself more and more Eastern leaning. While there's plenty of differences between Pentecostalism and Orthodoxy, I feel that above all other Western traditions, there's so many similarities in Pentecostalism to Eastern theology. So, hearing your account of your Pentecostal background and your search (I too have been reading Timothy Ware's books) and your growth, I find my heartstrings stirred. And I appreciate your homiletic style (very warm and approachable) and how you wish to clarify the ornamentation and distinctive elements of the tradition in a way that Westerners would probably never consider. You are a Godsend and I appreciate you. God bless.

Your making me want to go to Church again sir!

When the baby came in calling, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy 😇❤

Thank you for your teaching! I watched all your boot camp. For years I have been wishing to attend an orthodox church but unfortunately all churches in Israel services are either in Greek or Arabic, so I can't understand a word. I have settled with another denominación preached in English. I am very much interested in learning more about orthodox Christianity, I see how protestant anarchism robbed us of the heritage of the true church with its tradition, liturgy etc of the early church. Thanks for your teaching

I love the Greek Eastern Orthodox Church. My Spiritual Father is a Greek Orthodox Monk and he has literally turned my heart to Orthodoxy from non denominational Charismatic Christianity.

I’m a former Evangelical Calvinist becoming Eastern Orthodox who has been evangelizing for 20 years. Do you have any E.O. tracts?

a breath of fresh air

mystical childlike wonder and awe

if i may what you refer to the pattern of the way of living to me is a term called Orthopraxy the term broken down means your pattern of living and how experience Christ within you and among you in you daily living and how you pray and practice liturgy in Christ with christ and of Christ in your experience ...

i look back on my life and i most felt and knew these facts and most all these preachers trying to give me a bum steer....never fit always got in trouble and gave up

I just found this series, what book is he referencing when he says "page..."?

East is east and west is west and never the twain shall meet......Kipling

Fr everything youve been saying posting i intuitively already know but not able articulate that knowledge so what i deeply know and come to realize and never fit in any evangelical/pentacost or catholic churches believe me i try ive been Orthodox all along LOL

He didn’t mention the East / Oriental schism, but maybe because it never should have happened.🤷🏽‍♀️

Thank you for such an enlightening and thorough presentation! I was raised (and am still a member of) the Church of Christ, but over the last 5 or 6 years, I've watched my parents and siblings discover Orthodoxy and the beauty of Holy Tradition. Needless to say, I have many questions. Videos like these are helping me understand my family's journey and question many of the ideas I've grown up with.

Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed your explanation of mercy such as used in the Jesus prayer

Fr. Powell Iam a protestant seminarian. over the course of my studies i have become convinced of the orthodox church claims and authenticity. i wanted to convert but my wife wont agree. now i will start going to Saturday evening service at mu local orthodox church. thank you keith bufford

St Vincent of Lerins - a treasure of a Saint. *thumbs up* I'm glad you mentioned him, his work, "Commonitorium" is on my list of "must-reads"! Thank you, Fr Barnabas

session 2. You have the gift spreading knowledge. I am learning alot.

Just one day before Eastern, I am glad I was given your youtube link by a friend. I am even more glad to know that you are doing this for us. An introducton is hard. God bless and thank you again.

This is very enlightening. Thankyou for these lessons .

This is very enlightening. Thankyou for these lessons .

Yeah, when I was younger, I almost never heard about "Eastern Orthodoxy" and when I did all I heard was something about how they were ancient and very strange. That is one of the things I dislike about Protestant Christianity--the lack of preservation of historical knowledge and tradition of the church. (I am Protestant myself--born and raised.)

st. Athanasius in On the Incarnation said that God could not take back His word that eating the forbidden fruit would result in death, without violating His own integrity which would be unthinkable, and letting things go on as they were and His creation dithering out into chaos was also unthinkable, so The Word became flesh and died in our place so that God's word about sin and death was kept AND He can take us back.

Fr. Barnabas, what is the book you are using?

Father Barnabas is it difficult to be autocephalous and communal? Does the church struggle with this? Or as long as she remains communal theologically she won't go into anathema...

Are you using "The Road to Byzantium" for boot camp? I heard you mention it in the first session.

my husband was raised russian orthodox. but went to Christian misc churches with me over the years.....I personally never get much out of church.....my husband says all he can remember about the orthodox church was standing through the whole service and not being able to understand them as they speak in another language......if that is true......I couldn't see us doing it even if we like the teachings......what's the difference between orthodox and catholic?

Is this series available in written form?

Praxis.

Why isn't it both/and? We aren't asking for forgiveness and actual mercy? This seems imbalanced-- forgive me. You have heard of the petition about turing away the wrath justly stirred up against us-- this is common to the Orthodox Churches. The quotation you gave is simply wrong, even though I appreciate your emphasis upon the lovingkindness of God. We are certainly asking for forgiveness with "have mercy." God is just, but His justice is higher than ours and inconceivable. Elder Paisios says that God's justice is His forbearance. "As we had been justly handed over to the devil’s service and subjection to death, it was clearly necessary that the human race’s return to freedom and life should be accomplished by God in a just way. Not only had man been surrendered to the envious devil by divine righteousness, but the devil had rejected righteousness and become wrongly enamoured of authority, arbitrary power and, above all, tyranny. He took up arms against justice and used his might against mankind. It pleased God that the devil be overcome first by the justice against which he continuously fought, then afterwards by power, through the Resurrection and the future Judgement. Justice before power is the best order of events, and that force should come after justice is the work of a truly divine and good Lord, not of a tyrant." - St. Gregory Palamas